Megaman X: Luminous Truth
by SeraphNeko
Summary: An angelic Reploid... a human Huntress... lovers in a terrible war - PG for implied jokes, swearing, and violence... like any Megaman X fic woth its salt... R&R if you like, coz I got plenny more ^^
1. Swordsplay

Luminous Truth: A 21XX Fan Fiction  
  
Chapter 1: Swordsplay  
  
Luminous Archangel was steadily growing worried, as were the other Unit Commanders. Maverick activity had been quiet for a long time, and while some fervently hoped that the war was finally over, most secretly knew that it would be coming back with a vengeance, when they least expected it. For this reason, against his usual preferences, the leader of Unit 11 had opted to spar with Unit 0's crimson wonder, over discussing the relaxation and family joys inherent in the peacetime with X and his family.  
  
In fact, X had reluctantly decided to join in, too. and, against Archangel's insistence, so had Chrono Coral, the youngest member of Unit 11, and indeed the smallest and newest of the Maverick Hunters. She'd stuck to his leg like a limpet, shouting at the top of her lungs. "LUMIE! YOU LEMME TRAIN WITH YOU, OR I'LL TELL EX-IE 'BOUT AUR." Sighing in defeat, and turning a shade of red to make Zero jealous, he'd had to let her tag along. how do you tell your closest friend that you've got a crush on his (illegitimate) daughter?  
  
"OK, listen up. you are NOT using live weapons, agreed?" The stern emerald eyes of 'Lumie' glittered with slight satisfaction as Coral's bright magenta hair bobbed up and down, twin braids flicking the tip of her nose as she nodded her affirmative. "Second, you say a thing about Aurie around X, and I will not let you hunt for the rest of the year!" Another nod, though slower and guiltier than the last, gave Archangel the assurance he needed.  
  
"Hey. angel!" A voice rose softly from behind, and Luminous gulped down a blush. He hadn't. X surely hadn't. Archangel's emerald eyes betrayed his silent prayer, as they met the sparkling hazel eyes of Aurie Travors. Her smile was as innocent as the day Archangel had met her, and her hair cascaded down in a shimmering fall of golden brown. She was almost as tall as Luminous (who was an inch higher than Zero), a slender beauty that only grew more wonderful as time passed. "What'cha been talking about?" Here, Unit 11's first-and-second-in-command exchanged glances, before trying a somewhat nervous laugh.  
  
"Oh, you know. this and that, Aurie! This and that!" Luminous smiled, hiding his nervousness behind the wide grin, as X and Zero rounded a corner and walked into the group. "Well, then, let's get this over with." X nodded, obviously as forlorn as Luminous at having to train. The others seemed anxious as children, namely Zero and Coral. Only Aurie was neither sullen nor excited. instead, a slight nervousness flooded her eyes, as she glanced from her 'father' to Zero, and then to Luminous.  
  
Coral caught the slight fear, and took her hand, noticing the fiery glares being exchanged by Zero and Archangel. "Come on, miz Travors! You 'n me can play!" X smiled and waved off his daughter, mouthing "No worries" as the human girl was childishly dragged into the training room.  
  
*****  
  
"Ha-cha!" Zero exclaimed, the green hum of his saber slashing through the air. Energetically, Luminous parried with one of his shorter golden swords, before taking a swing at his opponent's sword hand. Both of their weapons were set on stun, but Archangel didn't take any chances. he trusted Zero about as far as he could throw Rainy Turtloid. "Today's th' day you lose, Lumie!" A quick twisting roll saved Zero's arm from paralysis, and the two duelists continued at their war with vigor.  
  
Coral was grinning under her frown. they'd only just started, and Aurie and X were raining an assault upon her! Aurie's own saber, a dazzling blue beam of light, was countered at every turn by the guarding arms of the childish Reploid. X had joined in the melee, and was charging for a full- blown blast. of course, his own blaster was set to stun, so Chrono wouldn't be hurt. As soon as the high-velocity plasma was unleashed, Coral laughed aloud, as she swung her protective shielding at the attack. Aurie shouted a curse as the beam collided with her midsection, sending her crashing into her pops.  
  
Luminous glanced their way, as Coral cheered childishly "I won! I won, I won, I won. I WON!" Without a second thought, his wings unfolded, he subtly smacked Zero upside the head with his stun-level saber, knocking him out, and flew over to the others. "AURIE? You OK?" Archangel asked worriedly, extracting a somewhat-bumped Aurie Travors from the winded form of the sapphire hunter. She groaned a little, rubbing her shoulders where she'd collided with X, and nodded wryly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. a little bruised, but I'll live." She glanced over at her dad, who looked kind of disabled. "I think I'll try sparring with you, instead." Coral flashed a victory sign and a cheeky smirk to her Commander, who glared needles of ice at her before drawing his sabers again. The smile on his face widened as he adopted a ready stance. "Well, since Dad's out of it, and Zero's napping." Luminous nodded as he waited for her first move. but Aurie wasn't budging.  
  
"Defend yourself, then!" Archangel cried, leaping towards her with his sabers poised to slash. With a sly grin on her face, though, the human Huntress spiraled aside, dodging Lumie's opening attack. She flicked her crystalline saber ever-so-gently at his back as he passed by, sending a jolt up his spine. "Owch! Well, that wasn't nice!" Still grinning widely, ignoring the tingling sensation crawling up his back, he launched into another offensive, this time becoming what can only be described as a whirlwind of golden light. This time around, Archangel managed to slip under her parrying saber, and prodded her midsection suddenly with one of his golden weapons. "Tickle tickle, missy!"  
  
A slight giggle escaped Aurie's mouth as she parried the saber, before she effortlessly moonsaulted over Luminous, perching herself on his shoulders and bringing her saber to gently brush his cheek. "Kiss kiss, honorable adversary!" Coral was breaking down, laughing, sobbing and gasping for breath, as the two exchanged thrusts, swipes and parries, tickling each other silly in the process. By the time they'd stopped, Chrono Coral had more-or-less chuckled herself to sleep, and the two were giggling uncontrollably, trying not to notice the fact that both were shaking terribly from the frequent saber prods.  
  
"Ah. I never knew. training could. be so much fun. we'll have to. meet again. sometime!" Luminous managed to blurt out between fits of chuckling. Aurie glanced at X, then nervously back to Archangel. When she finally got her breath back, she pulled together a reply, grinning shyly as her face reddened ever-so-cutely. "Oh, Lumie, are you asking liddle me on a date?" Luminous would have replied, but her silent nod sent him back to just a shy smile. Without another word, and with a wink to Aurie, he hauled Zero over his shoulder, letting Coral snore softly in his arms.  
  
When Luminous dropped off Zero at his quarters, he paused and smiled, before singing quietly. "She's my sunshine after the rain. she's the cure against my fear and my pain." The voice trailed off into the corridors, as Lumie went to tuck in Coral. Their next swordsplay would be a duel to remember.  
  
*****  
  
In his room, the sleeping crimson wonder smiled wickedly, a soft chuckle growing in his throat. He'd heard every single word. he'd only been playing possum, and now he knew. Lumie was in deep, serious love with X's daughter, Aurie. "This is just too rich. I'm gonna have some fun." Iris looked puzzled when she walked in, seeing Zero snoring softly with a wide grin on his face. Tomorrow was going to be a fabulous day! 


	2. Love and War Games

Chapter 2: Love & War Games  
  
"UNIT COMMANDER ELEVEN, REPORT!!!" A voice shook the small living quarters of Luminous Archangel, causing him to fall none-too-gently from his suspended hammock to the floor. Chrono also landed with an audible thump on the ground, but managed to get up just in time to prevent her patient, peaceful leader from putting his fist through the comm. A monitor on which showed the innocently smiling face of Zero, who was flashing a victory sign at them from his office.  
  
"ZEEERO! It's not even four in the morning! Why do you torment me so?" Archangel half-whined, half roared. Zero just giggled childishly, waving at him from the safety of his office, his grin getting wider and wider with each passing moment. "Oh, and just WHAT has gotten you all happy? Someone tell you a war started, or maybe." Here, Luminous gave his own cheery wave, grinning sardonically. ".you just had a nice 'sleep-in' with the missus?" Archangel, to his satisfaction, heard Zero whispering a count to ten, before the Crimson Wonder replied.  
  
"Ahem. we need to talk. the sooner, the better. or else, X is gonna be one mad daddy." The comm cut off, and while he may have been on the other side of the dorms, Zero could quite clearly hear the scream of anger and frustration echoing from Unit 11.  
  
*****  
  
"Lumie, stop!" Chrono pleaded in the hallways, hands gripped tightly on the sleeve of his casuals. She was being dragged slowly down the corridor to the Unit Zero dorms, in a futile effort to pull her friend back to the safety of Unit Eleven. "Come on! You know Zero's gonna tell X-ie anyway. You can tell him first, yourself! PLEASE?" However she pleaded, Luminous would not be put off. sure, Zero was X's best bud, and was a respected and revered Hunter, but 'Red Rover', as he'd tagged him a while ago, had NO business playing with his personal life.  
  
A pair of steel doors opened, and behind those doors grinned the devil himself, ruby-armored and looking like he'd just met his first kid. "Hello, Lumie. pleasant day we're having. smell that fresh spring air. the season of love, eh?" Zero remained smiling, even as his rival lunged at him, aiming for his leering jaw. "Ah, ah, mustn't touch. you see, I've been having a lot of trouble keeping things quiet lately. jaw problem, you see. it just gets really loose, now and then." Here, he paused, and watched Archangel's face fall into sullen defeat.  
  
"Look, I'll tell X when the time's right! You have no reason to interfere!" Luminous ground out each word between his clenched teeth, which were grinding audibly. Coral winced at the sound, but Zero seemed to relish the terrible noise. "So shove off, and keep your mouth shut. go knock up Iris or something, if it'll keep you quiet!" Zero frowned, but somehow, he didn't attempt to throttle Archangel for his out-of-character attitude. which had Chrono gaping like a 7 year old who'd just walked in on her parents. She let out a faint noise, but couldn't find any words to say. "Coral, why don't you go get suited up. train without me?"  
  
An ear-splitting, triumphant screech of joy was heard throughout the entire complex, as Chrono Coral bolted around the halls and passages to armor up for some serious down-time in the training room. Zero winced, and Luminous covered his ears, but before long, the two were back to challenging each other. "Alright, since you don't want to play nice, I'm going lay it down, here and now." The leader of Unit Zero rubbed his head, seemingly with a migraine from thinking. "I've got a scouting mission tonight, one which rather bores me. I'm going to come down with something before then, and Iris will have to tend to me, while SOMEONE takes my place." Archangel immediately wondered whether or not this mission was some sort of trap, but shrugged.  
  
"Sounds fair enough. I do your easy work, and you stay home and find something to do." Here, Archangel gave a smile of his own, an uncharacteristically-sardonic smile. ".or someone" Zero growled, and gestured angrily with a free hand. The other hand had unconsciously gripped his favorite beam saber tightly enough to leave dents in the metal work. That may not have gone as well as he'd hoped, but he'd laid down his law. Now, Archangel was Unit Zero's whipping boy, and the illegitimate head of the Maverick Hunters was going to use this new development for all it was worth.  
  
*****  
  
"Why is it, whenever something good happens to me, Zero finds some way to screw it up royally on me?" Archangel practically whined, taking the head of a training drone as he related to Coral what had happened. They'd been at this for well over a few hours, and it was getting on into the lunch hours. Coral was clawing her way through a pile of drones that had collapsed on her when she'd quickly disabled each and every one. "I'm the commander of the Eleventh Unit! I've earned my place as a Hunter! That jerk has no right!" Here, he stopped and thought for a moment, an idea reaching him. Zero was X's closest friend, and certainly seemed like a big brother to the sapphire Hunter. maybe that was it. maybe Zero was doing this to help X.  
  
The training room door slid noiselessly open, and by the lightness of the footfall, Luminous had already guessed who'd just entered. "Sir! Huntress Aurie Travors reporting for training!" She kept a serious face, giggling inwardly, as she issued a sharp salute with her engaged beam saber. Archangel nodded solemnly, barely able to keep from bursting out in laughter, as he returned the salute crisply, acknowledging Aurie's presence with military ease.  
  
"Sorry Aurie. got an assignment from boss-man Zero." Luminous sighed, but reddened shortly after when she placed a hand on his. When he looked at her, she was smiling cheerfully, and Archangel just had to ask. "Um, Aurie. what's up?"  
  
Aurie grinned wider at seeing the Reploid turn red as Zero, before replying. "Oh, that won't do for our first date!" Coral pretended not to hear, busying herself with a swarm of angry training drones. Luminous was getting redder by the moment, and she was unable to hold back a giggle. Miss Travors also gave a tiny laugh, before continuing. "Besides, scouting missions can be tough. you might need backup! I'll come too!" Archangel almost fainted with amazement, but then he caught the angry glare from Coral, who he'd promised to take with him.  
  
"Chrono, I don't think you'd like scouting. it's usually pretty boring." The child-like Reploid looked dejectedly at the floor, sighing in discontent. Then, Luminous smiled, and tickled Coral with the tips of his feathered wings. "SO, you are being left in charge of the Unit 11 Hunters while I'm gone!" This news, combined with the assaulting feather-tips, sent Chrono Coral into an ecstatic fit of screaming laughs. "Keep them on their toes, Commander Coral!" Coral leaped up, gave a stiff salute, and marched out with the air of one in charge of the entire army.  
  
"That was cute!" Aurie giggled, watching the titanium tyke scowling fiercely and giving sharp salutes to passersby. Then she turned, winked at Luminous to set him a new shade of red, and walked to the hangar for debriefing. Archangel stood, dumbfounded for a few moments, before following eagerly beside her. Zero hadn't seen this coming. the smitten Reploid was sure that Zero hadn't planned for Aurie Travors, X's daughter, to come along with Luminous Archangel on something as trivial and uneventful as a scouting mission. Zero can't have known this was going happen! Impossible!  
  
Or. is it possible. could it be? 


	3. Those Terrible Twos

Chapter 3: Those Terrible Twos  
  
Aurie and Luminous chatted amiably as they walked to the briefing room, not noticing it slide open noiselessly. They did, however, hear the blast of laughter coming from the room, as X ran out desperately, obviously breathless from chuckling. "Luminous! Mind explaining why Coral's just forced half the Hunter forces into laps around the entire headquarters?" Archangel caught the giggle in Aurie's voice, and sighed, making a mental note to remind Chrono Coral about morale issues. "Unit 11 is in an uproar! They want you back ASAP. I think you'd better make that scouting mission quick, or there's gonna be heck to pay!"  
  
'A small price to pay for the chance of my life' Luminous thought deeply, behind his cheerful smile. "X, I need backup, and Aurie could use the field experience. mind if she tags along?" Aurie fluttered her eyes at her dad, keeping the sapphire Hunter's attention away from the reddening Archangel. X went deep into consideration about this, but eventually, Aurie's cute eyes melted his heart. Seeing him start to turn back to him, the winged Reploid hastily suppressed his racing heartbeat, managing to fight down the red shade his face had taken before X made eye contact with him.  
  
Yet, before the sapphire Hunter could say a word, their vision flashed red and silver, as Zero barged into the conversation. "X! Are you serious! Aurie's a great fighter, sure, but is she really ready for something like this?" Iris was close by, and she could only gape at her love with shock. Never had Zero actually discouraged the start of a Huntress' field time! "You're gonna risk her life on something as routine as a scout job? Luminous is more than capable of handling this alone, isn't he?" Aurie and Luminous glared daggers of cold ice at the Crimson Wonder, and Iris identified their expressions quickly enough to catch on.  
  
"Zero, I think it's X's decision whether or not he's ready to let Aurie go on her first mission. who are we to interfere in his family affairs?" Zero would have said something cunning, but the 'behave or else' look Iris was shooting him took the fight out of him without much trouble. Sighing, running a hand through his blond hair, he apologized to X.  
  
"Yeah, you're right. sorry. just concerned for the safety of my friends." He shot a subtle glance to Luminous before continuing. ".you never know what could happen on a scout mission." Archangel caught the obvious undertone, and nearly sent a fist flying into his rival's face. Only the feeling of a soft hand on his arm kept him at bay. Aurie was looking at Zero for a moment, a slight look of disgust crossing her face, before she turned to X.  
  
"Well, if that's all, I think Lumie and I need to get going. we wanna be home in time for dinner, after all!" X laughed at his daughter's attitude, and gave her a thumbs-up of approval. Zero gaped at his close friend's apparent blindness, as Iris subtly dragged him back to their quarters for a 'talk'. X let a soft smile cross his face, as he thought alone. His little girl was growing up; he sighed light-heartedly and walked back to his own quarters, to spend his free time with Michelle.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey, it's the boss angel!" A high voice rang throughout the hangar, as a trio of Reploids dragged themselves wearily to Archangel. Luminous recognized them instantly: The speaker was the unit's flirt, a slender human-built Rep named Nolan. He was decked out in standard Hunter armor, coloured silver and white, emblazoned with Unit 11's symbolic pair of golden wings. A dark-haired and handsome rogue, with a long history of attempted romances. He was definitely a tall and striking figure, who caught the eyes of innumerable Huntresses. which was kind of sad, considering his personality - casually obnoxious - drove most of them away shortly after.  
  
With Nolan was a sinuous Mechadrake female, well-built and serpentine, of the passive silver colouring. The deep sapphire eyes, sparkling with mischief and excitement, always creeped out her comrades, especially Zero. She could have passed as a slightly-bigger, silver Lady Draco. Her armor was stylish, a full suit of metallic-blue plating, spiked extensions at the elbows, shoulders and knees, and a neat tiara embedded with a sapphire. This Mechadrake answered only to the title Lady Azure. no one knew, or dared ask, her proper name. She was giggling fitfully, eyes glancing from Luminous to Aurie, causing the angelic Reploid to sigh in annoyance.  
  
The third of the group, to Archangel's relief, was a reliable friend of the Reploid commander. Mac, like himself, had been Maverick for a time, and related to Archangel's experience closely, though he'd been infected by the virus, rather than used forcefully by Sigma. He'd kept his old armor, the purple plating over black jumpsuit that had been his pride and joy. Unlike the others, Mac was no longer an active Hunter, preferring instead to remain behind as technician and tinkerer. His helmet was off, revealing slightly-longer than average raven hair. However, he always wore a pair of green-tinted shades. where he kept getting them, Luminous could never figure out, as he'd wanted a pair himself. they looked just plain cool.  
  
"Lumie, you gotta do SOMETHING about Coral! We've been hiding in here under the excuse of helping Mac with the new Ride Armor! You hafta save us!" Azure was almost as childish as Coral sometimes. in Archangel's opinion, even more so, most of the time. Aurie's eyes widened as the shining Mechadrake attached itself to his leg like a lost puppy. "Don't let her get away with this murder!" Archangel quickly pried the desperate draconic Reploid from his leg, and groaned in annoyance. Nolan and Mac barely stopped themselves from bursting out in laughter, amused at the sight of the gigantic Azure looking up at their glorious leader like a kid who'd just been told her room needed cleaning.  
  
"I would, I really would. unfortunately, I have business out of town." Again, he felt eyes flicking quickly from himself to Aurie, and suppressed the urge to call Coral. "Scouting mission. I'll be gone a while. you got it?" Mac nodded and turned, continuing his adjustments to a gigantic Ride Armor mecha. However, to the frustration of both Hunter and Huntress, Nolan and Azure engaged in a whispered conversation, which lasted for all of twenty seconds, before Nolan piped up, grinning widely.  
  
"That's so sweet of you, boss angel! Taking the lady out for a night on the town, and leaving us to our own devices! Awwww!" Both of the culprits burst out laughing, practically rolling on the floor, subdued by their own hilarious senses of humor. Normally, in his rising temper, he'd have either nodded to Mac, who'd have quickly knocked both of them silly, or else would have just throttled Nolan angrily. Instead, a thin smile crossed his face, and Mac grinned and waved as Chrono Coral ran in.  
  
"Commander! Hunter Maintenance Officer Mac reporting!" Mac saluted sharply, and the two giggling jokesters froze. "Ma'am, the work's doing well, but I don't need the help. they'd be much more helpful helping in the Medical Unit." Azure went from silver to white, and Nolan paled. Medical Unit was THE most boring thing alive, and to make matters worse, they'd be around the new chief, who was said to be a living NIGHTMARE! Neither of them had met this mysterious medical officer before, but they pictured something that could make even a Mechadrake gulp in fear.  
  
Luminous was amazed how Coral was capable of towering over her prey, who happened to be double and TRIPLE her size. Aurie tried hard not to laugh, but was forced to mask it as a cough, as the childish Commander kicked their shins and pulled them by the ears to the Medical Office. Mac was sniggering quietly inside a compartment of his prized Ride Armor, watching the dynamic duo get dragged away. Then, with a final escaping breath, he nodded to the engineer, gesturing to one of the Landrider hover- cycles.  
  
"Aurie, you'll take the Appalachian. She's quiet and quick, so you should be able to keep up with me. maybe." If there was one thing that Luminous was quite proud of, it was his flight speed. he was unmatched when he took to the skies, and no machine or manner of life could keep up with him. Without a word, grinning happily, Aurie Travors was out of sight, leaving Luminous blinking in surprise for a second. ".wow." Behind him, he clearly heard Mac exclaim 'what a woman'.  
  
"MAC!!! If that ride armor isn't fixed by the time I get back, you'll WISH Coral had gotten to you!" Mac gulped audibly as Luminous took off, wings spread wide as he soared like a missile to catch up with Aurie. 


	4. Boy Scout, Girl Scout

Chapter 4: Boy Scout, Girl Scout  
  
Iris was tapping her foot angrily on the steel floor, a steady rapping rhythm that was continually rising with her anger. "ZERO! I cannot believe something this. this VILE could have been contrived by you!" Zero picked a spot on the floor, wisely away from Iris' leg, and gazed at it guiltily as she continued. "I mean, this is really low. even for you!" This remark got Zero's attention, and his head snapped up to look at Iris. He was caught between bemusement and offense. He took the former.  
  
"Ow. that hurt. you know, I think I'm safer on the field." Zero gulped as Iris rolled her eyes, silently praying heaven for strength to deal with her immature love. A pair of well-built arms, covered neatly by a long-sleeved red sweater, wrapped themselves around her shoulders, and she whirled about to glare at the Hunter, who was smiling cheerfully. "See, people think I do everything I do for the sake of making an ass of myself." Ignoring the condescending look, which screamed 'then-stop-giving-them- reason-to' in his face, and went on. "I'm doing this for X, and partly for Lumie. you and I both know X is WAY too protective of his little kiddie to willingly let her hunt. He trusts Lumie, though, maybe more than he trusts me. so, I set things up, pull a few strings, and voila! X lets his little girl grow, and poor Lumie actually gets a chance to talk to her!"  
  
Iris stopped and gaped at Zero. this was a side she'd never seen of her lover before! So, underneath the over-bearing, mischievous bastard that the Hunter corps respected and feared, an artificial and. dare she think romantic. heart beats. "What I don't understand then is. why did you come off like such a jerk?" Now, Zero shrugged, and grinned widely, planting a small kiss on the puzzled Reploid's forehead before removing his arms from her shoulders.  
  
"I have an image to keep. X might've suspected something, otherwise. and he'd kill me if he found out I was playing Cupid!" Iris sighed and shook her head in amusement at her blond-haired pretty boy, before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Zero grinned shyly. it was rare for Iris to suddenly kiss him. Just as he'd decided to spend a blissful fifteen minutes in her arms, however, a very ominous red siren screamed. Without a second thought, Zero swiveled and punched the comm, and was greeted by a seriously pale-looking X. "X? What's going on?"  
  
"Maverick army headed our way. and Aurie's riding straight into them."  
  
*****  
  
Luminous strained his wings to catch up to Aurie, who he'd decided wasn't even trying. With a wry grin, the Huntress stopped suddenly, letting Archangel rocket past her. Without a word, laughing heartily, the winged Reploid returned to his charge, landing gracefully alongside the human god- daughter of his friend and mentor. "So Aurie, how's your mum and dad doing?" He asked cheerfully, setting up camp for the night, and tossing her a ration bar. Aurie chewed happily on the bar, enjoying the taste, before she answered. "Oh, you know dad. I don't think anyone really gets to him, except maybe Zero." Just for a split-second, Luminous captured the mental picture of X decking 'Red Rover'. He pushed the thought away, though, and listened intently as Huntress Travors. "As for mom, I'd have to say she's tougher than dad. I haven't seen her lose one argument yet." The Reploid nodded, memories of his old 'family' returning with a vengeance. With effort, and a carefully-suppressed sigh, he managed to hold in the grief that assaulted him.  
  
Now seemed like a good time to tell her. No Zero was around to play games with his emotions. No open ears to carry the gossip to X and Michelle. Yet, his ears reddened, and he had trouble opening his mouth. "Aurie. um. I." Aurie looked at him, half-bemused and half-puzzled. My commander is a little girl-shy, hm? Wait a minute. he's. blushing?! The young human Huntress suddenly knew what was coming, and placed a hand on his, nodding assuredly to the winged Reploid commander. "Huntress Aurie Travors, I l-"  
  
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and alarm bells screamed in his head. He mouthed 'Mavericks' to Aurie, before whirling and drawing his unique weapon, a mechanium bow-shaped plasma cannon. Sure enough, the scorched wastelands were swarming with a roaring mass of angry-looking Reploids. "AURIE! The cycle. get moving!" Aurie didn't dare argue. the look in Archangel's eyes was too urgent for her to disagree with his order. Luminous Archangel was hovering effortlessly above the ground as she started the advanced hover-cycle, sending arrows of white plasma into the incoming ranks. Then, as the Appalachian revved up for riding, the angelic Reploid latched his feet firmly on the back seat, casually sending bolt after bolt of energy into the Maverick army as they rocketed towards Hunter HQ.  
  
Without warning, though, Aurie let out a loud curse, and the cycle crashed into something lying on the road. a Metool, loaded with explosives. The resulting explosion was absorbed by the cycle, obliterating the vehicle, but it still sent Aurie flying forward at several miles an hour. Only the quick intervention of Archangel, who'd immediately flew off the doomed hover-cycle and raced between the airborne Huntress and an incoming mountain, saved her from an untimely and painful end. "You alright?" He yelled, even as the force of his catch slammed him into the mountain. Aurie nodded, a little shaken, but quickly overcoming it with frustration. Her crystal saber was drawn, and Archangel drew both of his golden weapons when he saw.  
  
"Shit. we're surrounded!" Aurie muttered, back-to-back with her superior officer. His wings were spread wide, and within them, a cluster of plasma nacelles were gathering energy for a last-ditch assault. He would clear a path and keep them occupied, so Aurie could return to Hunter HQ and report. The chance he'd survive was slim, but he didn't care, so long as Aurie survived to grow.  
  
"Language, Huntress. I've been in worse situations than this." He remarked off handedly, taking the arm off a Maverick that got too close.  
  
"Bet you can't name any of those situations." She retorted, kicking another advancing one between the legs, before expertly bring her knee up to meet his chin.  
  
"Not at the moment. but don't you worry, I'm sure you can ask X about it, when you get back to HQ." Luminous shrugged, and skillfully took the legs out from under a Chimera that had nearly put its fist through his chest. Aurie looked askance at him, and tears trickled down her face when she saw the fire in his eyes. "Aurie, you're going to live. understand? I. love you." The Mavericks had backed off to recuperate, but that would only last for a short time.  
  
"Luminous. if you die, I'll kill you and never talk to you again!" Archangel laughed, not feeling the dread of death, or apprehension of the Maverick army, who were starting to gear up for another charge. Aurie turned him around, and looked hard at Luminous, who sighed sadly when he saw her eyes. He knew she wouldn't leave, no matter how he ordered her. Their faces drew closer. if they were both going to die here, they would share at least one kiss in their life.  
  
They ignored the rising noise of the Maverick army, and their lips met for a brief, eternal moment, before they turned back to back once again, gave a terrific war-cry, and met the resurgent mass of Mavericks, cutting down several of the enemy as they were slowly overwhelmed, pressed down by the sheer weight. A stray Maverick fist cracked with frightening force to the back of Aurie's head, knocking her out. The Reploid who that arm belonged to screamed in pain as he was subtly slashed in half, and Luminous covered Aurie's crumpled form with his own body. His beam sabers were humming viciously through the surrounding hordes, and mechanium wings were ripping apart Mavericks left and right.  
  
His strength was fading, and he was losing his artificial blood from countless wounds, but he was wreaking havoc on the Maverick army. Just as he began to fade, something bright and green hummed past his left ear, and a glaring blue explosion of light radiated to his right. Several Maverick screams were heard, and the last thing Archangel saw before he lost consciousness was a storm of azure and crimson steel.  
  
*****  
  
"Interesting." A silhouette spoke in the distance, out of the onslaught, watching with sapphire eyes that burned with hatred. The voice was smooth as silk, yet sharp and wicked as a hidden knife. "Yes, I can see now why this one defeated Sigma. he could be useful, if manipulated." The figure was cloaked in dark robes, neatly-cut and well-fitting. It was as tall as Luminous, and had a slender look to it. The only adornment visible was a single purple jewel, clasping the cloak tightly at the shadow's neck. The jewel alone was proof enough that this shadow was to be feared: It was pure, flawless amethyst.  
  
"We will meet soon, Luminous Archangel. once your precious jewel is in the possession of Amethyst." 


End file.
